9 6 Oeoarapbical wotes on 



of all religions when they are predominant is to absorb and misuse 

 power ; but that Protestants should send missionaries to a Catholic 

 country seems to me inconsistent. In principle, therefore, Mexico is 

 hardly the proper field for Protestant missionaries, notwithstanding 

 that there is a great deal of room for improvement there, in so far as 

 religious matters are concerned. 



After having witnessed the terrible consequences of religious intol- 

 erance and political domination of the Catholic Church in Mexico, 

 I was of course greatly impressed with the condition of things existing 

 in the United States, where all religions are tolerated and none attempts 

 to control the political destinies of the country. I thought that one of 

 the best ways to diminish the evils of the political domination and 

 abuses of the clergy in Mexico was to favor the establishment of other 

 sects, which would come in some measure into competition with the 

 Catholic clergy and thus serve to cause it to refrain from excesses 

 of which it had been guilty before. When, after having lived for 

 ten years in the United States, from 1859 to 1868, I returned to 

 Mexico and took charge of the Treasury Department there, just at 

 the time when the religious question was being solved, I, therefore, 

 favored the establishment of a Protestant community as planned by 

 Mr. Henry C. Riley, since made a Bishop, a gentleman of English 

 parentage, born in Chili, who had been educated in London and New 

 York and was graduated with high honors at Columbia College, New 

 York, who spoke equally well English and Spanish, and eagerly desired 

 to establish a Mexican National Church in competition with the Roman 

 Catholic, in which undertaking, I understand, he used his own funds. 

 He proposed to buy one of the finest churches, the main church of the 

 Franciscan convent, which had been built by the Spaniards, located in 

 the best section of the City of Mexico, and which could not now be 

 duplicated but for a very large amount of money ; and with the hearty 

 support of President Juarez, who shared my views and who was perhaps 

 a great deal more radical than I was myself on such subjects, I sold 

 the building which had become national property after the confiscation 

 of the Church property, for a mere trifle, if I remember rightly about 

 $4000, most of that amount being paid in Government bonds which 

 were then at a nominal price. 



The magnificent building sold to Dr. Riley's community was bought 

 recently by the Catholic Church to restore it as a Catholic temple, for 

 the sum of $100,000, as I understand. My assistance was rendered to 

 the Protestant cause for the reasons that I have stated, and not because 

 I had adopted the Protestant faith ; therefore the action of the Mexi- 

 can Government in the matter at the time I speak of, was all the more 

 praiseworthy. Dr. Butler bought about the same time another part of 

 the same convent of San Francisco, where he established a Methodist 

 Church in a very creditable building. 



